It's not because China doesn't have the capability to manufacture such scientific instruments. It's because a small clique of established industrial countries who attained scientific technological leadership many decades ago, dominated this industry early on and have mostly continued to dominate it. That's why scientific instrumentation is concentrated in a select handful of countries. Namely, USA, Germany, Japan, UK, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Netherlands. Absent their presence, other advanced countries could and would quickly reproduce most such instruments within a few months and only take years for a small fraction of the most advanced instruments, like cesium atomic clocks. I stress "advanced" countries, like China, South Korea, Italy, Russia, etc. who have the potential to recreate such an industry.
Yet another dumb trade policy that will harm the US more than it harms China. This will indirectly subsidize the rise of China's scientific instruments industry, whose market it will lose and who will become a peer competitor in this industry. I keep saying it, Who are these geniuses?
